Isaiah 46
1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Isaiah 46.
What historical setting lies behind Isaiah 46?
Bel and Nebo, major Babylonian deities, are pictured as unable to save their own images.
How does Isaiah 46's idol polemic + burden reversal shape the chapter?
The chapter turns the physical weight of cult images into a literary contrast between gods who must be carried and a deity who carries a people.
Who were Bel and Nebo?
Bel is a title especially associated with Marduk, Babylon’s chief deity, while Nabu/Nebo was a major god linked with writing and wisdom. Their cults were central in first-millennium Babylonia.
Sources to ExploreCurated research paths for this chapter 3
History & Daily Life2
- Nabu, Babylonian God of Writing and WisdomUniversity of Pennsylvania ORACC
Explains Nabu’s association with writing, scribal knowledge, and Marduk. Isaiah 46 names Bel and Nebo as gods whose images must be loaded onto animals and carried away, reversing the expectation that deities should carry or rescue their worshipers.
- The Mesopotamian Pantheon and Babylon’s GodsWorld History Encyclopedia
Introduces the organization, roles, temples, and regional identities of Mesopotamian deities. It provides broader context for Isaiah’s naming of Babylonian gods while helping readers understand why conquered divine statues could symbolize the defeat of a city and its political order.
Language & Literature1
- Isaiah 46 in Hebrew and EnglishMechon Mamre
Presents the chapter’s Hebrew contrasts between idols that must be carried and the deity who carries Israel from birth to old age. Readers can trace repeated verbs of bearing, lifting, remembering, declaring, and bringing events to completion.

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